sworn in as board of education members at the beginning of July. After the completion of the swearing-in of the three new members, an

election of officers will be held to determine the president and vice-president of the board. Being a board member is a difficult job, so

please make our new board members feel welcomed to our school system and encourage them every opportunity you get.

Beginning in July, it is currently the plan of the current board to name me as the interim superintendent. This will be the situation until the

new superintendent is named. My role during this time will be to ensure a smooth transition as a new board and a new superintendent take

office.

The board will be working with the West Virginia School Boards Association to conduct a search for a new superintendent. If the search

goes well, we could have a new superintendent named prior to the start of the next school year.

Over the course of the summer I encourage you to check the status of professional development offerings by going to http://www.barbourcountyschoolssd.com/. This website will be updated periodically as staff development plans are finalized. Thanks for all you have accomplished this school year. Please know that there are many students out there who have benefited greatly from

your dedication to your job and that their lives are enriched for having been associated with you, as has mine.

Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing each of you at the start of the next school year.

The Bridge

June 7 Last Day of School

Year for Students

June 8 ISE Day / End of

4th Nine-Weeks

June 9 Preparation Day for

Closing of Schools

June 10-30 MS Explorations Camp

@ Philip Barbour H.S.

June 14 BOE Mtg. at 6:30 pm

Retiree Program: 5:30

June 14-17 Reading Prof. Dev’t

@ PBHS; 8:30-3:30

June 26 GED Examinations

@ CTEC; 8:00 a.m.

June 28 BOE Mtg. at 6:30 pm

GED Grad. at 5:30

News and Information for Barbour County School Personnel

Volume 1, Issue 9 June, 2010

Important Dates

The Arden “Blue Bridge”

Dear Colleagues,

As I write this, it is the beginning of June and the school year is coming to a conclusion. As the chap-

ter on this year begins to close, a new one is getting ready to open for our school system.

Working in a school system requires a tremendous amount of dedication for often little compensa-

tion. I would like to recognize all of the efforts on the behalf of our retirees for their contributions to

our system. Many times those efforts go unseen, but they are greatly appreciated by me and the stu-

dents you have helped and supported along the way. Thank you for your efforts and contributions

you have made to make Barbour County Schools a great place to work and a great place to learn.

As you know, Dr. Lundeen has accepted an offer from State Superintendent, Dr. Paine, to be the su-

perintendent in Grant County. In her 3 ½ year tenure in Barbour County, Dr. Lundeen has brought

about a substantial amount of change to our school system. Perhaps, most noteable among her ac-

complishments, has been the Reading Initiative. Prior to this initiative, a low percentage of our stu-

dents were on course to be proficient readers. Now, 90-95% of our kindergartners are on track to

become proficient as they exit this grade. Nothing will transform our school system as will having

90% of our students being proficient in reading as this is truly the cornerstone of educational skills

upon which the rest of a child’s education is laid.

I greatly appreciate the efforts of Dr. Lundeen. She has left our system in better shape than she

found it. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Thank you, Deede.

Our system is also getting ready to say good-bye to three board members. Pat Jones, Brian

Kisamore, and Junior Robinson are winding up their tenure on the board. These three gentlemen

have brought a lot of fresh thinking to the board. I have appreciated their fiscal responsibility and

their desire to improve Barbour County Schools. Thank you, Pat, Brian, and Junior for your dedica-

tion to our school system.

As the three BOE members exit, three new individuals are poised to begin their tenure as board

members for the next four years. Joanne McConnell, Bob Wilkens, and Doward Matlick will be

Thanks for the Memories!… County Retirees Are Recognized

June, 2010 The Bridge Page 2

The Barbour County Board of Education will officially recognize a large group of July, 2009 to June, 2010 retirees from the school sys-tem, along with school volunteers, during ceremonies at its June 14 meeting, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The group of twenty-two departing personnel have contributed well over 600 years of service to the chil-dren of Barbour County and, while congratulations are in order, will be sorely missed. Sincere gratitude and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement are extended to the following personnel:

Dorothy Upton (BMS)

Ellen Wolfe (PES)

Charlinda Emigh (JES)

Kathy Ervin (PES)

Kathy Schoonover (BMS)

Carolyn Spessert (KEMS)

Reta Nestor (JES)

Roger Anglin (Transportation)

Larry Phillips (Transportation)

Linda Baumgardner (BMS)

Elaine Gray (County Office)

Bridget Maxson (VCES)

Wanda Owens (PES)

Larry Simpson (Transportation)

Ruth Bennett (PES)

Jeff Phillips (PMS)

Renee Poe (BMS)

Sandra Lantz (BMS)

Chris Hicks (BMS)

Kenny Jones (Transportation)

John Mayle (Transportation)

Connie Armentrout (BES)

Mt. Vernon Students End the Year with Special Events:

Memorial Day Celebration and Career Awareness Day Held

The students and staff at Mt. Vernon Elemen-

tary School have stayed busy during the waning

days of the school term with several special events.

The Tigers and parent volunteers celebrated the

Memorial Day holiday on May 27 by hosting four-

teen members of the military, who helped students

understand their jobs and roles in service to their

country. The youngsters also learned about various

types of military vehicles and boarded two types of

Humvees that were brought to the school for the

event. Of special interest was the climbing wall,

which gave students a chance to test their fitness

and agility (opposite column). The program also

featured the history of The Pledge of Allegiance

and the Poppy, the singing of “America,” and floral

presentations to the assembled servicemen.

Following their WESTEST efforts on May 21, the

children were treated to a Career Day program,

where members of the community made presenta-

tions about their careers (shown above), including

such varied areas as: active and veteran military

service personnel, a geologist, physician’s assis-

tants, a gunsmith, an artist and a registered nurse.

Final reminder: All personnel who wish to enroll

in the new Vision Insurance program must sub-

mit the forms to their school principal or depart-

ment administrator by June 4. Forms and infor-

mation were included with the May 27 paychecks.

Remember to mail the required legal documenta-

tion, if applicable, to Healthcare Data Manage-

ment by June 11 to verify dependent eligibility

(including dependent life insurance) through

PEIA. Questions about the HDM process may

directed to the Finance Office.

All employees with pending travel reimburse-

ment forms must submit them as soon as possi-

ble (before leaving for the summer) to ensure

payment by the end of the current fiscal year.

Barbour County’s early summer session for Read-

ing Professional Development will take place at

Philip Barbour High School from June 14-17,

from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. Personnel

should refer to the provided (yellow) brochure

distributed at each school, or visit the BCS web-

site for session overviews and further details. The

late-summer Reading Professional Development

program will be held for PK-Grade 8 teachers

from August 9-12,

Congratulations to out to the Philip Barbour

track teams and coaching staff for an outstanding

season. Eight boys and seven girls qualified for

the 2010 AA State Meet on May 21-22 at Laidley

Field in Charleston. Junior, Sarah McCauley,

continued her stellar career with state champion-

ships in the 3200 and 1600 meter events, pacing

the girls to 5th place among 26 entered teams.

Senior, Riley Freeman earned four medals in the

boys’ meet, leading the Colts to seventh place

among 23 squads. Other track and field athletes

earning the trip to Charleston were: Chris Toom-

pas, Tylor Faulkner, Matt King, Wes Anderson,

Ricky Hathaway, Jeff Neff and Tyler Mullins for

the boys, and Brianna Waybright, Amber Abbott,

Ashli Shelton, Emily Tusing, Trinity Gray and

Briana Shockey for the girls. The Colt squad is

coached by Tina Shriver and Ellen Gould.

— Odds ‘N’ Ends —

June, 2010 The Bridge Page 3

Summer Pay Dates Announced

Dates for the summer distributions of pay-

checks for Barbour County school personnel have

been set. Employees may pick up their checks at

the Board of Education office between 8:00 a.m.

and 3:00 p.m. on each of the pay dates. Any

checks not picked up in person will be mailed that

day prior to 4:00 p.m. Check information for those

personnel who are enrolled in direct deposit will

processed the previous business day. To enroll in

direct deposit, employees are invited to contact

the finance office. The summer pay dates include:

Tuesday, June 15

Monday, June 28

Thursday, July 15

Wednesday, July 28

Friday, August, 13

Friday, August 27 (distributed at work sites)

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic ele-

mentary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large

pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple

tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching." Moving further along

the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of

chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all

you want. God is watching the apples."